A scam that preys on a person’s emotions to get the victim to fork over cash has resurfaced, according to police.

In 2014, Dr. Miguel Gallegos told Action 7 News about a phone call that left him in a panic.

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“He said, ‘Gallegos,’ and I said, ‘Yeah?’ ‘I have somebody who wants to talk to you,’” Gallegos said. “This girl starts screaming, ‘Help!’ and I could hear them pulling her away.”

The caller told Gallegos that the screaming girl was his 11-year-old daughter. They wanted big bucks for ransom, and said she’d been kidnapped by a cartel.

“He said, ‘You’re going to do exactly what I say’ -- it was a large sum,” Gallegos said.

Gallegos called police and his daughter’s school, and found that she was safe. But Gallegos isn’t the only who who’s been targeted by the realistic and frightening scheme. Police said people are reporting similar kidnapping ploys across New Mexico.

A man was asked to pay $3,000 Thursday after callers claimed his brother-in-law had been kidnapped.

“We've received absolutely no verifiable kidnappings in the Albuquerque region for ransom requests,” said Tannier Tixier, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman. “It's not going to be legitimate, and you need to call police right away.”

APD and other law enforcement agencies said if a resident gets one of the calls, he or she should ask questions and get police involved before handing over any money. Police said it’s tough to track down whoever is making the calls, because they tend to use disposable phones.